Archives for FUBAR

Many consider The Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual list of U.S. extremist groups an authoritative glimpse into racist and anti-government activity, but some of its targets contend the civil rights advocacy group is actually focused on silencing conservative viewpoints — sometimes with serious consequences. The Family Research Council blames a 2012 shooting at its Washington, D.C., headquarters on its inclusion on the SPLC’s hate-group list. The council’s website says its mission “is to advance faith, family and freedom in public policy and the culture from a Christian worldview.” Last June, SPLC’s Hate Watch blog featured two Anniston, Alabama, police officersRead More

When rapper Killer Mike spoke before Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at an Atlanta rally on Tuesday night, he sparked controversy by telling supporters that “a uterus doesn’t qualify you to be president of the United States.” Killer Mike is the latest Sanders surrogate to use impolitic comments about Hillary Clinton, raising tensions between the two campaigns as they head into pivotal contests in Nevada, South Carolina and a string of “Super Tuesday” states on March 1. It comes weeks after former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright implied at a Clinton rally in New Hampshire there was a “special place inRead More

The father of the jailed leader of a group that occupied an Oregon federal wildlife refuge was charged Thursday by federal authorities with leading a tense April 2014 armed standoff with Bureau of Land Management agents near his ranch in Nevada. A federal magistrate judge ordered Cliven Bundy to remain in custody at least until next Tuesday, and said she’ll consider his request for a court-appointed attorney. U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart said she wanted to see financial documents first. Federal authorities have said Bundy owes more than $1.1 million in fees and penalties for letting cows graze illegally onRead More

The last four armed occupiers of a national wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon said they would turn themselves in Thursday morning after law officers surrounded them in a tense standoff. The development came as Cliven Bundy — who led a Nevada standoff with federal officers in 2014 and who is also the father of the jailed leader of the Oregon standoff — was arrested in Portland. The four occupiers yelled at officers to back off and prayed with supporters over an open phone line as the standoff played out on the Internet Wednesday night via a phone line being livestreamedRead More

Alligators have been used as shoes, briefcases, university mascots, lunch and now, authorities say, a deadly weapon. Joshua James, 24, was arrested Monday and charged with assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officials say he threw a 3.5-foot alligator through a Palm Beach County Wendy’s drive-thru window in October. He’s also charged with illegally possessing an alligator and petty theft. Jail records show he was released on $6,000 bail Tuesday. He was ordered to have no contact with animals. Wildlife officer Nicholas Guerin said in his report that James drove hisRead More

By 2030, Colorado’s population will grow from 5 million to 7 million people, thanks in part to a strong and diverse economy, the state’s famed Rocky Mountain quality of life, and its constitutionally-mandated low taxes. And because of those voter-sanctioned tax limits, this fast-growing state could someday fall victim to its own success. The contradiction is most evident when the rubber hits Colorado’s aging and underfunded roads. The state’s Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, is trying to find ways to squeeze more revenue for roads from the budget, while Republicans don’t want to tamper with the fabled 1992 constitutional amendment knownRead More

Iowa’s snow-covered fields and friendly villages were fraught with danger for pollsters, who had a tough time pinning down the state’s fickle electorate. Most poll-takers took it on the chin when Donald Trump’s lead in pre-election polls ended with a Ted Cruz victory at Monday’s caucuses. Marco Rubio’s strong third-place showing among Republicans seemed to sneak up on pollsters, too. They did better at capturing a tight race on the Democratic side that favored Hillary Clinton. Ultimately, she squeaked out only the slimmest of victories over Bernie Sanders. There are lots of specific reasons why some of the numbers wereRead More

The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, say the furry rodent has failed to see his shadow, meaning means he’s “predicted” an early spring. Members of the top hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the “forecast” at sunrise, just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early. In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob. The tiny hill is located just outside the town for which he’s named about 65Read More

The 2016 presidential contenders are begging their Iowa supporters to get to the caucuses Monday and Donald Trump, true to form, is in-your-face about it. “You’re from Iowa,” Trump told a Dubuque crowd Saturday. “Are you afraid of snow?” A snowfall forecast to start Monday night appeared more likely to hinder the hopefuls in their rush out of Iowa than the voters who will be flocking to the caucuses in the first contest of the presidential campaign. Still, there was every reason for candidates to be urgent about turnout in tight races on both sides. Democrat Bernie Sanders called itRead More

People who live in Burns, the small high desert town near a wildlife refuge that has been occupied by an armed group for a month, say they are sick of the disruption to their lives. “We just want to go back to the way we were,” Barbara Ormond, who owns a quilt store in downtown Burns, said Saturday. “We want everyone to leave us alone.” Four people occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge held their position Saturday and posted live videos describing their situation and reiterating their demand that they be allowed to leave with being arrested. The jailed group’s leader,Read More